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Mark Alexander- Contributor
[Courtesty of The Federalist Patriot]
Mark
Morrison Alexander is Executive Editor and Publisher of The
Federalist Patriot, the Web's "Conservative E-Journal
of Record" and now the
most widely subscribed Internet-based publication. [go
to Alexander index]
 Kerry's
Dishonorable Discharge...
He is still accountable…
[Mark Alexander] 10/26/04 |
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"Never suppose
that in any possible situation, or under any circumstances,
it is best for you to do a dishonorable thing..." --Thomas Jefferson
"Reporting for duty"? For a guy who's hitched his entire presidential
campaign to his military service record, John Kerry sure is parsimonious
when it comes to releasing that record. As noted in this column
on more than one occasion, Kerry has consistently refused to
sign a Standard Form 180 authorizing the Department of Defense
to release
all of his records.
George W. Bush's military records were so spotless that Dan Rather
gleefully trotted out some fabricated documents in order to kick
up a little dust. Of course, if Rather were a real journalist rather
than just a TV talking head, he might actually develop a source
who could find out what the remaining (approximately 100) pages
in Kerry's DoD service jacket reveal.
What, exactly, is Kerry hiding? It is already common knowledge
that most of his celebrated heroics were spurious, and that most
of his medals were without merit (see "Kerry's
Quagmire"). But given that the cat's already out of the
bag, why not just sign the Standard Form 180?
For his part, Kerry claims he received an "Honorable Discharge" and
that all his records have been released and are posted on his
website, Kerry-04.com -- uh, make that JohnKerry.com. But Kerry
has refused
to say when he received an Honorable Discharge. Indeed, some
of his military records are posted on his site -- but not all
of them.
Here, an experienced eye can read enough into what has been released
by Kerry to develop a good profile of what hasn't been released.
It is our considered opinion, therefore, that John Kerry was separated
from the military under a less than honorable discharge.
Among Kerry's released records is a 1977 cover letter from Jimmy
Carter's Navy Secretary, W. Graham Claytor. What is revealing
about this document is that it notes Kerry's original discharge
was subject
to review by a "board of officers" -- yet no such review should
be necessary for an Honorable Discharge.
The review was conducted in accordance with "Title 10, U.S. Code
Section 1162 and 1163," which pertains to grounds for involuntary
separation from military service.
As many Vietnam veterans who served their nation with dignity and
honor will recall, Jimmy Carter's first official act as president
was the signing of Executive Order 4483 --less than an hour after
his inauguration on 21 January 1977. EO 4483 provided general amnesty
for draft evaders, war protesters and other offenders of that era.
Its corresponding, and equally dubious, DoD directive took effect
in March of 1977, expanding that amnesty to include separation
from military service by other than honorable discharges. The DoD
specified an appeal procedure whereby discharges could be reviewed
on an individual basis to determine whether the status of a particular
discharge could be revised.
Having lost his first bid for Congress, Kerry no doubt decided
that his political future would be brighter as a war hero rather
than a war protestor. While there are several categories of discharges
beneath honorable, including general, medical, bad conduct and
other than honorable, it is very likely that Kerry's discharge
was dishonorable.
Supporting this assertion is the fact that Kerry had all his medals
mysteriously reinstated in 1985. He claims that he lost his medal
certificates (perhaps these are what he famously threw over that
Capitol fence in protest), but when a military officer is subject
to a Dishonorable Discharge, in addition to the loss of pay benefits
and allowances, all medals and honors are revoked. In any case,
it would be a cinch for John Kerry to refute our claim by simply
signing that Standard Form 180. But he won't. Nor will hard-hitting
journalists like Katie Couric and Dr. Phil press him on this issue.
Thus, while Kerry can correctly say -- thanks to Jimmy Carter
-- that he received an Honorable Discharge, he could also say
with
equal precision that he received "other than honorable discharge." His
activities as a leader of Vietnam Veterans Against the War were,
indeed, forgiven by Carter's EO 4483 and the subsequent DoD directive.
However, according to legal scholars, John Kerry's meetings with
enemy agents from Communist North Vietnam on multiple occasions
between 1970 and 1972 are not covered under EO 4483. For that
reason, we delivered to U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft on
Monday of
this week a "Petition for Investigation and Indictment," calling
on the Department of Justice to determine conclusively whether
Kerry's actions, in direct violation of UCMJ (Article 104 part
904), U.S. Code (18 USC Sec. 2381 and 18 USC Sec. 953) and other
applicable laws and acts of Congress, constitute treason. (Here to
read the text of the petitioners' request.)
Why prosecute Kerry now?
In October, 2003, Mr. Kerry chose to make his disputed Vietnam
War record the centerpiece of his campaign for the presidency.
In response, the more than 180,000 signatories of the above-referenced
petition chose to make Mr. Kerry's war record the centerpiece of
their campaign to determine whether his actions are subject to
the Constitution's Fourteenth Amendment, Section 3.
The pertinent language states: "No person shall be a Senator
or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President
... having previously taken an oath ... to support the Constitution
of the United States, [who has] engaged in insurrection or rebellion
against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof."
While it is clear that no action will be taken on the petitioners'
request prior to 2 November, we remain committed to holding Senator
Kerry accountable for his actions regardless of the outcome of
his presidential bid. Indeed, we are all committed to serving
Kerry with an irrevocable dishonorable discharge from public
office. tOR
copyright
2004 Federalist Patriot
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